I will make you love me Again
by summermocha
Summary: Konoha council is given only a week decided to what to do with Sasuke Uchiha- and chances are, he will be killed. But Sakura Haruno is determined to keep him by her side. Rated M to be safe. To be Limey/Lemony.
1. Seven Days

**I will make you love me Again**

Hey all! It's summer vacation where I am. That means more times for 'fics!:D I've been on a real Naruto kick lately... expect more from me! My first try at a SasuSaku 'fic, and I'm surprised it took me so long to succumb to attempt at a story about them. They and NaruHina are by far my favorite Naruto couples. Please enjoy.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**Seven days until the council decides:**

'The war is over.  
Well, the _fighting _is. But not the actual war itself. The aftermath and death toll is still ongoing,'  
That is what Sakura Haruno thought to herself, as she continued healing the injured and dying. All the long hours studying and practicing her chakra control and techniques came quite in handy, and she was thankful she took her studies seriously unlike _some people._ Her emerald orbs shifted to Ino Yamanaka, who was rushing around the hospital looking for another nurse on duty as she herself didn't know what to do with a man whose heart rate was dropping. She thought about helping the man herself, but her current patient needed his arm to be stitched back on right away; or it could be gone forever.  
"T-thank you again," The man said, as he felt the skin of his upper arm connect with his lower arm. It stung, and Sakura knew it, but there wasn't anything she could do.  
Her eyes shifted to the man's face. There were countless wounds on it; scars above his left eyebrow and mouth. "It's no problem," She replied. "it's thanks to brave shinobi like you who fought on the front lines, that I'm even here right now to fix you up."  
The man was a little bewildered by her response, and he fumbled to find something nice to say back. Sakura understood his efforts, and appreciated it.  
In no time, his arm was whole again.  
"_Wow_," the man said in amazement.  
"Please be careful when you do daily tasks with this arm. It's still a little weak,"  
"Yes,"  
"and be sure to come back if you feel _any_ discomfort or pain."  
"thank you," The man said, getting up and bowing to her.  
She bowed back.

Sakura's eyes shifted to Ino, who managed to save the dying man thanks to Shizune.  
Another fellow nurse, one with pale minty hair and soft hazel eyes, approached her. "Sakura-san, your shift is over,"  
"_Eh_, oh, thank you," Sakura replied. She bowed to her. "thank you." She repeated.  
The nurse bowed back. "No, thank _you_," She smiled at her, "we're counting on you for the midnight shift." and winked.  
"Understood," Sakura winked back.

Sakura left the hospital. Or so it was called.  
Due to Konoha still being in reconstruction; there is no time to properly rebuild a hospital and so it was basically a giant wooden building with some windows here and there, with what seemed like billions of rooms. She looked back at the establishment, and sighed. '_I can't wait for it to be an actual hospital again_,'  
She walked the streets which were crowded as always. Groups of girls huddled together, gossiping. She couldn't help but overhear a particular conversation.  
"_Sasuke-kun is back..!_"  
"_He's handsomer than before~_"  
"_But didn't you hear? The council is deciding whether or not to banish or kill him,_"  
"_No...!_"  
"_Duh. He's a criminal._"  
"_They'll probably kill him,_"  
"_Probably..._"  
Sakura had heard multiple rumors about him at the hospital. Many of her patients came in, speaking of the "Last Uchiha" and how it was a shame the clan was going to become extinct. She had assumed that they knew that Sasuke just wasn't interested in love right now, but perhaps this is what they _really _meant.  
Sasuke was going to die.  
Her stomach dropped.

**-x-x-x-**

"Uchiha Sasuke is a S-ranked criminal."  
"It's a crime for us to even harbor him!"  
"He's done horrible things..."  
"...too many to count...!"  
The elders feuded back and forth constantly. Tsunade felt her temples ache. She sighed heavily. "Can we just decide what to do with him, instead of stating the obvious?" She crossed her arms. "We were given a week to decide. Time is running out,"  
The room fell silent. But the silence disappeared when the elders shook their heads at her. "Tsunade-hime," An elder spoke, "don't you think we want to?"  
And they argued once again.  
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, and looked out the window of her office. She noticed the sky was cheerful and sunny, a soft pale blue color. She noticed there were quite a few clouds, but nothing worrisome. She noticed a cloud that looked familiar.  
'_Itachi..._' she thought, '_what would you have done..._' She bit her lips, staining her white teeth with her crimson lipstick. '_Or even wanted_..?'

**-x-x-x-**

"_Eh?_ Sakura?" Shikamaru was a bit surprised to see the pink-haired woman in front of him.  
"Shikamaru," Sakura said calmly, "I need to talk to you about something."  
"U-uh, sure," Shikamaru replied. He scratched the back of his head. "Um, Temari is over right now so if it's something impor-"  
"That's fine," She said, entering the Nara household.  
The home was reminiscent of the hospital. It was a rather medium-sized wooden building, with few windows here and there. Temari sat on their couch, apparently asleep. Or it appeared so, at least. Sakura raised an eyebrow, and Shikamaru responded by raising a hand. "Another time," he said.  
She sat down on the comforter in front of the sofa. "Shikamaru," Sakura said calmly again.  
He moved Temari's body slightly over so he could sit on the sofa as well, and rested her legs onto his lap. "Yes?" he answered.  
"What do you know about Sasuke-kun?"  
Temari's head snapped up. "Uchiha?"  
Shikamaru eyes widened. He looked at Temari, as if to ask for permission to speak. She only nodded.  
"I'll be blunt," He finally said.  
Sakura leaned in closer.  
"Tsunade-sama and the council were given a week to decide on what to do with Sasuke. Land of fire's orders."  
'_So they were right,_'  
"And?"  
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. Temari bit her lip.  
"I assume you know Sasuke is going to die."  
The words were so simple, but came out like a storm of raging bullets. Sakura's emerald orbs showed the reflection of Shikamaru sitting in front of her, but other elements as well. Fear was a prominent one.  
Temari sat up. "But Tsunade wants to keep Sasuke alive. Isn't that what you said?" She said, looking at the Nara boy she called hers.  
He looked at her, and then at Sakura again. He heaved a heavy sigh. "Chances are, Sasuke is going to die though."  
He looked out the closest window to him, which was the window behind Sakura. It had a perfect view of the rebuilt Hokage building.  
"There's only one way Sasuke could live,"  
A pair of emerald orbs and dark teal orbs snapped up at Shikamaru.  
"H-how?" Sakura asked, persistent. At this point, she was practically falling off of the comforter.  
"Sasuke would have to reveal every secret in his little book."  
He was looking at Sakura intently now.  
"We all know that's not gonna happen."

**-x-x-x-**

Uchiha Sasuke sat on top of his bed.  
He looked up at the white ceiling above him. The clock behind was ticking, counting every second of the day.  
He noticed his room becoming darker, as night had fallen.  
He didn't even need to look at the clock to know what time it was. (The time was 11:45 PM, by the way.)  
He got up, and shuffled around the piles of clothing in his room, searching for a shirt to put on. He found a white cotton v-neck tee that seemed appropriate. He was already wearing some baggy jeans, and so he didn't have to worry about a bottom.  
'_I need to take care of something,_' he thought to put on some sandals and wandered into the darkness of night.

Sakura was running. "_I'm already late,_" she said, running faster and faster.  
She was trying so hard to focus on her path to the hospital. But instead, her mind was elsewhere. Somewhere more precious to her heart.  
**_"Why? What good would that do? The council knows the secret behind the Uchiha__ mass__acre-"_**  
**_"Sasuke was affiliated wtih Akatsuki. The group that tried to take away our dear Naruto away. He was connected to Orochimaru. He was connected to Madara Uchiha, hell. Sakura," Shikamaru's eyes stared at her. "we all know he's not going to reveal anything. He'd rather die than be persecuted by Konoha. The people he hates for essentially killing his brother."  
"Shika-"  
"Sakura." He repeated her name.  
She understood._**_  
_The scene replayed over and over in her mind, like a broken record. She tried to cleanse herself, to forget it. '_I need to stay focused if I'm going to be saving lives._'  
She suddenly felt the cold pavement of the ground against her face. It took her a minute to register she had fell. She glanced behind her, noticing a rather large rock. She looked at her heeled shoes, concluding she fell tripping on that rock. "Get it together," she whispered to herself.

"Seriously," A voice murmured.  
She suddenly felt herself being whisked up, the cold ground that was so close to her face getting farther and farther. She felt muscular arms surround her body. She didn't know why, but she was afraid to look up at him.  
Because she already knew who it was.

* * *

What did you think? ^^ Sorry if some things are a little unreasonable. Like, _being given a whole friggin week to decide what to do with Sasuke? _Or he can stay ONLY if he reveals some secrets? xD I'm sorry, it's the only thing that made sense in my head aha. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed the story.


	2. Six Days

**I will make you love me Again**

Hey all! It's summer vacation where I am. That means more times for 'fics!:D I've been on a real Naruto kick lately... expect more from me! My first try at a SasuSaku 'fic, and I'm surprised it took me so long to succumb to attempt at a story about them. They and NaruHina are by far my favorite Naruto couples. Please enjoy.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**Six days until the council decides:**

"Sasuke,"  
She finally let his name leave her lips.  
"Hm?" He replied.  
Silence filled the air around him.  
She didn't know how to react. '_Sasuke-kun is holding me in his arms,_' she thought, '_randomly in the middle of the night._'  
"Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" Sasuke asked her. Well, it didn't sound like a question. It sounded more like a command. Like he wanted her to be there.  
"Yes, but I-" she paused. "Well, what are _you _doing here?"  
He ignored her question. "_Get it together_," He told her. She couldn't tell if he was teasing, for she could've sworn she saw a smirk emerge on his lips. Even if his voice was dark and serious.  
"Sasuke, I need to be at the hospital. My shift already started-"  
"I will take you there," He interrupted her. He began getting a running start, and leaped all over the dirt pavement, rushing her to the hospital.  
'_Dumb-ass. Why didn't I do that?_'  
Before she knew it, she was whisked off at the hospital entrance. She glanced at the windows lit a bright yellow-orange hue, and concluded it wasn't even that busy. "T-thank you, Sasuke-kun."  
He looked at her with his coal eyes.  
"Don't mention it. I just happened to run into you."  
He looked at her, still. _That's not true, I was looking for you._  
She thought he was being his rude self.  
_He was really looking at her delicate facial features in the light of the windows._  
She attempted to wave bye, but instead rushed off inside the hospital, running to save others.  
He admired about that her, secretly. Thinking less and less of herself like a spoiled brat, and instead growing into a fine young woman. He wanted to think that it was because of him. _He wanted to._

**-x-x-x-**

She entered the room, nurses plastering their faces to the windows. "Oh my gosh, it's Sasuke...!" they all seemed to exclaim at once.  
She rolled their eyes at them, looking for patients who need attention.  
Ino made eye contact with her. "It's a slow night," she said.  
Sakura looked around the empty room. "I bet," she replied.  
Ino raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "I saw who dropped you off,"  
Green eyes darted away onto the wooden floors.  
"Oh my gosh you're blushing."  
"N-no..!" Sakura stammered.  
Ino hugged her friend delightedly, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You have to tell me everything!" She squealed.

The clocks all read, 2:13 AM. Some nurses were told to go home because there wasn't anyone that needed medical attention at midnight. The hospital staff concluded that the mass of injured people was slowly, very slowly dying down. It got to the point where Tsunade-sama wasn't need anymore 24/7 in the building.  
Sakura was one of the lucky nurses told to go home.  
"You've done enough," Shizune assured her.  
"B-but...!"  
Shizune smiled at her. "Sakura,"  
Sakura smiled back. "Thank you. Goodnight,"  
Shizune kept her smile, but not without yawning.

Sakura was pushing the entrance door out of her way when she saw him.  
He waited there, standing by the wall in the shadows. "S-Sasuke-kun?" She asked, as if to confirm it was him.  
His onyx eyes shone even in the darkness. "I," He paused. "I want to talk."

**-x-x-x-**

**_"Sakura...! Maybe he likes you back, finally...!" Ino joyfully exclaimed. She was practically jumping out of her pants. Ino started a relationship with Sai recently. She no longer had Sasuke on the brain. Mostly boys in general, actually.  
"Nah," Sakura denied.  
"I'm begging you as a friend, not to waste this chance," Ino said, putting her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "He's acting so weird 'cause he wants to date you,"  
"Ino..."  
"No, I'm being serious. Just trust me on this one,"  
Sakura looked at her friend, unsure.  
"He knows he has a time limit."  
Sakura was not convinced.  
"C'mon. Chin up, girl." Ino lifted Sakura's chin with her thumb. "Or should I say forehead?"  
Ino burst out laughing, with Sakura rolling her eyes,__ smil__ing.__  
_  
**"About what?" Sakura timidly asked.  
He walked out of the shadows. He stood close to her, almost arms length. "I have six days before I'm killed," he admitted.  
Sakura's eyes widened. '_He knows,_'  
He stayed quiet. She stayed silent.  
"Can we talk at my place?"

It took some convincing, but he convinced her to follow him to his place.  
It was a nice place. A wooden hut like every other home, but it still had Uchiha charm. It was old-fashioned, yet modern.  
He closed the door behind her. "And your parents are okay with this,"  
"They know I have weird work hours, so I think we should be okay."  
Sasuke stared at her; his usual unemotional gaze. He was actually quite content.  
She looked around the living room awkwardly. "You can sit down." She obeyed, sitting on the sofa.  
He sat down next to her, even though there was some distance between them.  
She looked at his angular face. '_The face of an angel,_'  
"What do you want to talk about?" She asked, finally.  
He glanced at her. He took a few seconds to think about what to say, had to think carefully on how to phrase his sentence.  
"I have six days before I die," He said again. "Before I die, I want to take care of some unfinished business,"  
He looked at her, intently. She was frozen, like a deer in front of a hunter. Her emotions, she _herself_, was out in the bare open.  
"I'm assuming you've fallen for other people,"  
Sakura wanted to protest; that she hasn't thought of anyone else but him but when she was ready to open her mouth,  
"but I will make you love me again."

**-x-x-x-**

The images of them years ago ran though his mind.  
_"Sasuke-kun..."  
"Love..."  
"you...!"  
_Back then, he wished more than anything to be able to turn around, and scream _I love you, too. _He was just starting to get attached to her. And he often wondered what it would have been like if he had stayed.  
The woman then, while the same as the woman in front of him now, was completely different. He gazed at how beautiful she had become.  
She was cute then, but had grown into a fine young woman.  
He was always wandering on how to respond to her confession. He had waited all this time, and had an abundance of time to think about this. But even now, he wasn't sure what to do.  
_He had always felt the same about her,_  
When he opened his eyes to reality, he found himself on top of her. He was literally digging his tongue like a shovel into the mine of her mouth, searching for her treasures.

**-x-x-x-**

She found herself digging her hands up his shirt.  
She was stroking his bare chest, tracing the outlines of his abs. Eagerly, she ripped off his shirt and tossed it aside on the floor. She kissed his soft stomach, leaving behind a wet trail. Her hands were all over him._ But he wanted more._ Eager for her to touch him even more, he motioned her hands towards his pants, which were still buttoned together. Her lips pursed at the thought of what was going to happen. Her fingers quickly and nimbly unbuttoned his jeans, and she slipped that off with uncomfortable ease due to the friction of the jean fabric and her. The sun was slowly rising. The room was no longer dimmed with darkness, but becoming tinted with a dark navy hue. She dreaded the thought when the sun would rise, for that is when she would need to return home; away from Sasuke.  
She dipped her fingers into the space between his hip and waistband of his boxers. '_I didn't think of Sasuke as a boxer guy,_' she thought, as she slowly slipped them off. His eyes went dark with lust; his mind was hazed with the thoughts of what would happen next.  
They knew what was going to happen.  
_She really wanted it._  
His boxers slipped off, and he was completely naked while she was clothed. "My turn," He said quietly.  
Sakura cocked her head to the side, to motion she wanted him to repeat what he said. He instead dug his face into her bare neck, opening his mouth and staining her skin with his saliva. The neck of her skin was the ballroom for his tongue. She couldn't stay quiet, for she moaned the entire time. When he lifted his mouth off of her skin, it silenced her. He began to remove her shirt carefully. He threw it on the arm of the sofa, and looked down to the next layer: her bra. Even in the darkness, he could see it was a soft pink color. He thought it looked fantastic along her milky skin tone. He could see the little lacy bows decorating it's rim. He stared at it for a good thirty seconds, before he dug his hands greedily into her backbone, searching for the strap. When he found it, he stretched it backwards and let it snap against her back. She made a sound, a content squeal, and he smirked. '_He is good,_' she began to think. He expertly unhooked the bra, and threw it along side her shirt. He dug his face in between the valley of her peaks which had grown incredibly hard. Years ago, Naruto would make fun of her; calling her flat. Boy, was Naruto wrong.  
He swirled his tongue all over her. Her skin was so smooth and soft, he could eat her out right now.  
The thought made his head jerk to the lower bottom of her body. Sakura appeared to catch on; because she muttered his name. "S-Sasuke-kun..?"  
He looked at her dolly eyes. He couldn't see fear or displeasure in them. _But want; desire. _He took off her pants eagerly and didn't take the time to carefully throw it on the arm of the sofa, but instead threw it all way into another hall of the home. He stared at her panties that matched her bra from earlier. Licking his lips, he slowly took the panties off. Sakura squirmed at this, exciting him even more. He squished his knee in between her legs, separating them, getting ready to penetrate her.  
His cock was hard. Hell, it was throbbing even. He didn't think he could hold it any longer.  
The light in the room grew brighter; and no longer a blue hue. It grew into a golden color. The sun was rising for real now.  
Dawn's pale glow illuminated Sakura's body and face. Her green eyes glimmered and sparkled.

Sasuke stared down at her.  
He blinked.  
Once.  
Twice.  
She stared at him, awaiting for his next move in their dance.  
"Sakura, put your clothes back on."

**-x-x-x-**

"S-Sasuke,"  
"I said, _put your clothes back on._" He turned his back to her, revealing an ivory backside. He was putting his clothes back on. "Do you not know English?"A million thoughts ran through her mind.  
Confusion was a new element within her eyes. She felt tears run down her cheeks. Realizing this, she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She didn't want him to see.  
"Why are you crying?" He asked. His voice was dark.  
"Tell me why," she whimpered.  
He put his shirt back on, and turned his face to look at her. He tried hard to look at her face, and not her naked body.  
"This wasn't what I wanted," he finally said.  
"Then what was?"  
He looked away from her. He stared at the empty wall in front of him. He wishes he had family portraits of some kind to put on them.  
"I wanted to respond to your feelings, not-"  
"not fuck me?"

The way she said it, so plain and simple; it made his stomach drop. It churned with guilt.  
"I don't have any interest in you."  
He could feel her intense stare.  
"You should go." He said flatly, walking away from her. He stopped for a second. "You know your way out." He continued walking. _What the fuck am I doing._  
She stared at the empty seat beside her on the sofa. She reached for her articles of clothing beside her, and put them on. She found her panties and her shorts. She put them on. She approached the front door of his home, and looked back once.  
Sasuke stood in his kitchen, his back facing her. He was looking outside the window.  
She opened the front door, and left.  
Sasuke looked at the clouds above him. '_Itachi..._' he thought, '_How do you love?_'

Sakura left his home with tears.  
'_A childhood dream come true..._' she held them in, '_ended as a nightmare._'

**-x-x-x-**

"Tsunade,"  
"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru entered her office, his eyes disinterested as usual. But she could see beyond his eyes well and clear.  
She folded her hands together, and rested her chin upon them.  
He raised an eyebrow.  
"This is top secret information. Classified."  
"Understood,"  
She smiled.

As he left her office, he turned around.  
"So when are you going to tell her?"  
Tsunade looked away from his gaze. She knew that gaze was nagging at her to tell _her._  
"She deserves to know,"  
"I know."  
"Are you going to break your own student's heart?"  
Tsunade bit her lip.  
"I don't want to,"  
They looked at each other a while longer. "That's all I need to hear,"  
Shikamaru closed the door behind him; and walked onwards home to Temari and his mother.

"Where's my mother?" He asked.  
Temari sat at the kitchen table, sipping tea. She glanced at him. "Out with some friends,"  
Shikamaru took a seat next to her. "It's a miracle she has friends..."  
She glared at him. A sweat drop fell down the Nara boy's forehead.  
She put down the teacup. "So, do tell."  
Shikamaru smirked at her. "It's classified. You know I can't,"  
Temari stared at him for a good second. She began unbuttoning her shirt, slowly.  
Drool slowly seeped from Shikamaru's mouth. "T-Tem-"  
Her shirt fell to the wooden floor. But no bra followed after.  
Because she had no bra on.  
"Will you tell me now?" She asked.  
He ignored her question, instead asking one himself. "Will you come here for a sec?"

**-x-x-x-**

"Thank you for coming, Sakura."  
Sakura nodded before her sensei.  
"Of course," She replied.  
Tsunade heaved a heavy sigh. "So where do I begin...?" She looked at pictures that were laid out on her desk. One was of the Uchiha clan before the massacre. It appeared to be taken before neither Itachi or Sasuke were born, since they were nowhere to be seen. "The Uchiha," she said. It was directed more to herself, but Sakura still made note of what she was saying.  
"Is he going to live?" Sakura bluntly asked.  
Tsunade's soft brown eyes widened with shock. However, they quickly reverted back to an un-shocked state. "Did _he_ tell you?"  
"No," Sakura responded. "it's a common rumor."  
"Tch," Tsunade sighed. "I should have figured, honestly."  
She leaned back in her chair.  
She thought about what to say.

"Sasuke will be able to live."  
The words brightened the pink haired woman's emerald orbs. They shone, brighter than perhaps the sun. They were filled with hope and joy; two things becoming less and less foreign to her.  
Tsunade smiled at her happiness.  
"He will?" She asked quietly.  
"Yes," Tsunade responded. "He will, however, be infiltrated by the council. To prevent any future catastrophes and such," She stopped there.  
Sakura waited.  
"And what?"  
Tsunade glanced at her student. Her brown eyes met Sakura's curious green eyes.  
"Nothing. That's it."  
Sakura grinned. "_Really?_"  
Tsunade shook her head. "Of course!"  
Sakura bowed to her teacher. "Thank you," She smiled. Sincerely. "_thank you._"  
Tsunade smiled back.  
Sakura ran gleefully out of the office, after closing the door behind her.

She turned around to look at her reflection in the window.  
"Tsunade...you fraud,"  
She looked down at the floor beneath her.  
Tears began staining the floor.  
"You betrayed your own student."

_**"After he is infiltrated, willingly or unwillingly, we will seal him. He will be gone."  
Shikamaru's charcoal eyes widened. "T-Tsuna-"  
"I decided against it!" She threw her fist onto the desk with immense strength. "But...the elders... they want him gone. It's to ensure our safety. Please understand."  
Shikamaru waved it off. "I never cared much for Sasuke,"  
Tsunade's eyes narrowed at him.  
"But," he continued, "it's not me you need to worry about. It's your student."  
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him. "Does she still love that psychopath?"  
Shikamaru smirked. "Correction: she never**_**_ stopped._"**

**-x-x-x-**

"Six days until Uchiha Sasuke is gone, huh."  
"Well, the Uchiha clan had a good run."  
Tsunade glanced at the Elders. She thought seriously about their decision.  
"Tsunade-hime," One of them said, "do you agree with our current plan and action?".  
Tsunade bit her lip.  
"Hime, please understand. It's for our village's safety!"  
Silence filled the empty room.  
Her brown eyes met their aging grey eyes.  
"Yes," She finally responded.  
**  
**

* * *

Really long chapter. Sorry about the lemon scene! It was so awkward for me to write out xD Did I do good? Hope you guys enjoyed it, nonetheless.


	3. Five Days

**I will make you love me Again**

Thank you for all of your kind reviews! It really pushes me to try and create a good story for you all. (hugs you all)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**Five days until the council decides:**

Shikamaru awoke with Temari resting on his chest. Her delicate fingers intertwined with his.  
He glanced at her angelic sleeping face. '_She's such an angel when she is asleep._' he thought.  
He poked her between her eyes. "Hey, sleepy head. Wake up,"  
Her dark teal eyes slowly unveiled as her eyelids lifted. She gazed at him for a long time. "You're getting better,"  
He snickered. "Heh," He had his hand resting on her bottom, and was tempted to squeeze it. He decided against it.  
Temari sat up suddenly. She draped the bedsheets over her bare chest, even though there was nothing to hide from. Shikamaru had seen her naked plenty of times now. "I can't stop feeling bad for her."  
_Her._  
"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed. "But the council was given a week to decide. They don't have to make an official move for another five days. A ton could happen in that time period."  
"Like?"  
"Maybe, _maybe,_ Sasuke will tell details."  
Temari pondered at the thought.  
"I hope she will be fine," She said, lying down next to Shikamaru again. "I worry for her because I don't know what _I'd _do if I lost someone so important to me,"  
He gazed into her eyes.  
He had loyally remembered his father's words: _"Even the strongest woman will show a gentle side to the man she loves._".  
He held her even closer to his body.  
**  
-x-x-x-**

"Sakura, you _have _to tell me what happened between you two!" Ino pestered her the following day. "I want to know! I saw him wait for you," She winked at him.  
Sakura looked away from her friend. And the fellow nurses and patients at the hospital, eager to listen to the trending gossip.  
"Honestly, nothing," She replied.  
Images of Sasuke shirtless flashed in her mind. And while they did induce a blush on her cheeks, she did remember his cold words from that night as well.  
Ino pouted. "Fine," She hissed.  
Sakura giggled at her friend.  
'_So nosy,' _she thought. '_I can't tell her, though. What happened._'  
She looked at her beautiful friend; her ivory skin and illuminating teal eyes shining, with her soft and gorgeous blonde hair. '_No one could ever say no to her,_'  
**  
-x-x-x-**

He glanced at her.  
He watched her.  
He stood outside the hospital, watching a figure run back and forth. He sighed, and sunk his hands into his pockets.  
_He never meant to hurt her.  
He got carried away.  
_The image of a naked Sakura on his couch, was too much for him to handle.  
He gritted his teeth in denial.

"Bye guys!" A pink haired woman was saying farewell to her friends. She closed the entrance doors behind her. She laid eyes on him.  
"Sakura," He greeted her.  
She looked away from him, and kept walking forward.  
"Sakura," He was following her now.  
She walked faster, faster. "I need to get home." She retorted to him.  
She felt and heard the footsteps catch up.  
She felt his hand wrap around her wrist. He was stopping her in her tracks.  
"I want to talk,"  
Sakura tried so hard not to look at him. She avoided his deep gaze. "No," she said.  
"why not,"  
"because you fucked me over." Her voice was soft. But the effects, were not. He felt as if a hundred kunais were jabbed into his heart, all at once.  
She attempted to let go, but his grip on her tightened. It almost hurt.  
"Sakura,"  
"no,"He tried again. "Sakura,"  
"no," She repeated.  
"Please,"

He turned her shoulders around, and lifted her chin with his other hand. His pointer finger delicately moved her chin. His eyes were staring deep into her beautiful emerald orbs. "Please."  
She felt her throat choke up. "O-okay,"

**-x-x-x-**

The coffee table was littered with letters. The envelopes all read, "OFFICIAL LETTER DOCUMENTATION FOR: UCHIHA, SASUKE".  
She stared at them.  
"They are trying to keep in touch with me,"  
"About what?"  
"Information,"  
He leaned back on the sofa. He crossed his arms behind his head.  
She looked at his serious face. "Why don't you want to reveal to them information? It could-" she stopped herself. '_But he already knows..._'  
He looked at her with his eyes. "I'd rather die by their hands, than to actually talk to them."  
"Why would you rather die?"  
He looked away from her quickly. "You don't understand anything, do you?"  
She bit her lip.  
"No, I don't," She admitted.  
He stayed silent.  
"Teach me," she commanded. "teach me."  
He raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Teach me how to not feel."  
_Oh, Sakura.  
I do feel._  
She placed a hand on his thigh.  
_I feel regret,_  
He placed a hand on top of her's. "Stop,"  
"Then why are you touching me?"  
_about that night.  
No._  
She planted a kiss on his cheek.  
_Everything._

**-x-x-x-**

"Naruto..."  
Her temples throbbed.  
"I'm asking you a _favor._ A fucking favor,"  
"Granny, that's too cruel. I can't do it."  
"Naru-"  
"If it isn't so hard, how come you didn't do it yourself?"

She stared at Naruto. Her brown eyes were shocked.  
She should've expected this to come from him, though, honestly.  
"That's pretty mean, don't you think, Hinata?" Naruto wrapped an arm around his beloved girlfriend. "_Right_?"  
"Eh-"  
"Naruto," Tsunade tensely repeated herself. "I want you to tell Sakura the truth, for me. Please."  
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her.  
"I couldn't tell her... she's my precious student..." Images of Dan and Nawaki appeared in her mind. "I know the pain of losing a loved one. I cannot bring forth such pain on her."  
Naruto crossed his arms. "I can't, either!"  
Tsunade bit her lip. It's become a bad habit; this. Blood began squirting a little bit down her cheek.  
"Ask Shikamaru,"  
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "He couldn't do it, either. It's _s__uch a drag._"  
Naruto was in deep thought.

"Tsunade-sama," Hinata said in her sweetest voice.  
"Yes?"  
"Why don't you ask the officials to send a letter to her? She is his girlfriend, after all."  
Tsunade and Naruto's eyes widened in unison.  
"SHE WHAAAAAAA?"

**-x-x-x-**

He stayed still. He looked at her face.  
"I can't," He finally said.  
"Why not?"  
"Because I do feel," He replied. "I feel remorse for the other night."  
Sakura's eyes softened. Her lips curved downwards.  
"Before I die, I want to finish things." He held out his hand, reaching for her face. He cupped her cheek with one hand. "I want to love,"  
Her eyes darted away. She felt her face turning a shade of red.  
"I want to love you."

"Then love me," She whispered.  
His face, emotionless as ever, stayed stoic. "I will make you love me again,"  
'_Those words._..._' _

She planted his lips onto his.  
Her lips were soft, while his were buttery. They meshed together fine. She inserted her tongue into his mouth, exploring the wet cavern. She touched the roof of his mouth, down to the underside of his tongue. His tongue fought back, and they were intertwined in a mystical duel of romance. She grabbed his shirt, tugging at it. He opened his eyes, seeing what she was trying to accomplish. He pulled back from the kiss, and ripped off his shirt. He dug his face eagerly into her neck. "Your turn," he whispered.  
He greedily ripped off her shirt, and then unhooked her bra shortly there after.  
She smiled at him. "My turn," She affirmed.  
She unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and greedily took off his boxers. '_Boxers,_' she fondly thought.  
He snickered at her. "You're impatient,"  
"I know," She took off her own pants and undergarments. She gazed up at him. "Now show me how you plan to make me love you again."  
_My pleasure._  
He dug his face into her neck, nipping at the skin. He planned to leave a little bruise behind. His hands excitedly grabbed for her breasts. They were so soft, yet with hard nipples. He smirked at this realization. He tugged at the skin with his teeth as she moaned. The sounds echoed in the room; they echoed in his head. They were heavenly sounds. They filled him with bliss. He mushed them together, squeezing as hard as he could. She moaned even more.

**-x-x-x-**

_**He sat on the operating table. Blood was no longer rushing down his left cheek.  
He looked up at her.  
She looked down on him. Her facial expression was a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. "W-what?" She asked him.  
He replied with silence.  
She examined his left eye one more time.  
"Don't over-do it, now." She told him yet again. "You want to get better, don't you?"  
He replied yet again with silence.  
"You will be fine as long as you don't do anymore silly Sharingan nonsense."  
He stared at her, still.  
Her face flushed a light pink color. It was more of a peachy shade, in actuality. "I-is that all you need?"  
He stayed silent, still.  
"S-Sasu-"  
"I'm fine," He finally responded.  
His dark orbs looked away from her, and onto the wooden floor.  
'She is full of compassion, unlike before.' He made a mental note. 'Before, she would have never snapped at me before.'  
He laid his eyes on her, who now had her back turned to him. She was putting her tools back together, and cleansing them.  
'She has really grown up.'  
"Thank you," He quietly muttered.  
She turned around, quickly. "Did you say something?" There was a slight smile on her. A familiar smile.  
'Itachi...'  
She could've swore she saw a smile on his lips, or something. There was a slight curve going upwards on the corner of his mouth.  
'****She treats me like Itachi did,' he noted.  
'Maybe she can teach me something.'**_

_**Sakura put her instruments away into a cabinet. She looked at him, all bruised up and weak on her operating table.  
"If you're set to go, I have to let the next few patients in. But come back if you feel any discomfort or pain."  
He didn't say anything; merely getting up from the table and walking through the doorway. He stopped for a mere second.  
'I want to learn how she does it.'  
He continued walking.  
'How to love.'  
**_**  
-x-x-x-**

He had entered her only moments ago.  
Her eyes welled up with tears, not from pain, but with happiness. His member was hard and throbbing, and her walls around it tightened with each thrust.  
_She never expected him to feel so great._  
Tears blurred her vision.  
But she was sure that there was a smile on his lips.

**-x-x-x-**

_**She looked at the clipboard in front of her.  
'This has to be a mistake.'  
She glanced around the waiting room.  
He was there, an eye patch on his left eye.  
'No.'  
"U-Uchiha, Sasuke?" She quietly asked.  
The heads in the room glanced at the raven-haired man. Whispers filled the room.  
She stood there, biting her lip. He slowly got up from the plastic chair, and walked towards her.  
"This way, please."  
He followed her into a hallway, and then into a room. She closed the door behind them.  
"Please set yourself on that table. I'm going to be examining you now."  
He obediently followed her orders. He sat on the table, and began to remove his eye patch.**_

_**Sakura put on rubber gloves that she retrieved from the bottom cabinet. "The eye is a sensitive area," She reminded him.**_  
_**'Dammit...of course **_**I _have to treat Sasuke-kun...'  
She slowly removed the eye patch, and witnessed a horrific sight. She removed the blood with a cotton pad, and cleaned the area around the eye.  
"You're a mess," she scolded him. Even though it was a scold, her voice was soft. Almost lovingly.  
'He's a patient, Sakura. The minute he walked into this hospital, he's nothing more than that. No longer a crush.'  
'Keep your cool.'_**

_**She managed to take care of his eye in a matter of three hours. An impressive feat, even for someone like her.**_  
_**He put a hand to his eye, no longer feeling the stinging pain.  
She awaited his thanks.  
No such thing.**_

_**Knocks rang on the door.**_  
_**"Come in," Sakura replied.**_  
_**"Sakura-san, your shift. At midnight tonight." A fellow nurse peeped her head in.**_  
_**"Yes," Sakura agreed.**_  
_**'Midnight shift...' Sasuke thought, 'she will be here again later.'**_

**-x-x-x-**

The two sat on the sofa again, embraced in each other's warmth.  
Sakura glanced at the man she had just made love to. His face was stoic as always.  
She was hoping he'd at least smile.  
"Sasuke," She quietly whispered. In a sense, she wanted to awaken him. But in another, she wanted him to stay asleep.  
No response.  
'_Maybe he heard me,' _She thought. '_He doesn't always respond._'

She sat up, searching for her clothes.  
'_I need to get home._'

* * *

Lemon scenes are so embarrassing to write out.  
I hope you guys enjoyed, as always.


	4. Four Days

**I will make you love me Again**

Thank you for all of your kind reviews! It really pushes me to try and create a good story for you all. (hugs you all)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**Four days until the council decides:**

"Your fondness for the girl is getting in the way of your duties, Hokage-sama."  
"I know."  
The Elder stood in front of Tsunade at her desk. She gripped her temples, which throbbed even more than usual lately.  
"I say this because I care about you,"  
Tsunade nodded.  
"The girl's affiliation with Uchiha Sasuke will threaten her position at the hospital. We're not afraid to strip her of her duties,"  
Tsunade mouth dropped.

"Tsunade," The Elder said her name with a certain vibe of seriousness. "A girl with her strength and power could easily kill hundreds instead of saving them. We're doing this to protect our dear village, Konohagakure."  
Tsunade bit her lip, which was already sore and wounded from her previous bites.  
"She hasn't been influenced by him. I can tell you that."  
"Tsunade," The Elder repeated. "Our decision to strip Uchiha Sasuke of all of his intel, and then to seal him away into a dark abyss in four days has not changed. However, if we need to bring down others with him, we will not hesitate."  
The Elder's green eyes, similar to Sakura's emerald orbs, met with Tsunade's eyes.  
"Do the right thing."

She headed toward the exit of the Hokage's office. She opened the door slowly. Tsunade expected her to say more, but she did not.  
She closed the door behind her.

**-x-x-x-**

Tsunade leaned back in her chair. She turned it around, and gazed outside.  
The sky was so clear; so clean. Tsunade wished at that moment that the sky was the image of the future in four days.  
_**"Do you remember your resolve?" She asked the pink haired woman in front of her.  
The woman stared at Tsunade for a mere second. "Yes. To get stronger,"  
"And why did you want to become stronger?"  
"To bring back Sasuke-kun."  
Tsunade smiled at her student. "He's in the village, alive and well. Did you accomplish your goal?"  
"Yes."  
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm hoping you've set even more goals for yourself from this point on. I'll admit, you've become stronger. In body, and mind." Tsunade softened her expression; her lips curving downwards. "But that's not what's important." Her coffee brown eyes met with Sakura's jade green eyes. "If you're strong in your heart, you can accomplish**_** any****thing."  
**  
She remembered that conversation vividly now.  
She folded her hands together, and rested her chin on them.  
_**"Do you still love him?" She asked.  
Sakura hesitated to respond. "I do," she admitted.  
Tsunade did not smile, nor frown. Her expression was neutral.**_**  
**  
'_Sakura..._'**  
-x-x-x-**

When she closed his door, she saw her.  
The Elder.  
"Haruno?" She asked.  
"Y-yes, that's me," Sakura replied. She walked closer towards the woman.  
The Elder stared at her for a long moment. '_This girl... she is_ _definitely Tsunade's pupil. I can already tell she is a strong and beautiful kunoichi, just like her master._'  
"Your job as a Nurse is finished,"  
Sakura's eyes widened with surprise. "E-eh?"  
"Your help is no longer needed." The Elder said seriously. She glanced at her for a moment more.  
She turned her back, and began walking away.  
"W-wait...!" Sakura began to run after her.  
The Elder stopped, and moved her head slightly. "Tsunade-sama's orders."  
Sakura stopped where she was.  
She felt the world stop.  
The Elder continued walking.  
She felt her heart stop beating.  
'_Tsunade-san...?__'_

"Is everything okay?"  
His voice surprised her. She quickly turned around, to a stoic Sasuke.  
His eyes and expression seemed bored. "Is everything okay?" He repeated.  
Bewildered, she did not respond.  
He gripped her cheek with his palm.  
"I'm not okay," She finally replied.

**-x-x-x-**

"Sakura-san is labeled traitor..."  
"...it's because she hung out with him..."  
The nurses at the hospital gossiped in between breaks. They had heard all of the rumors.  
Ino heard their whispers. She did not say anything; nor do anything.  
She knew the truth.

She left the hospital, on the way to the Hokage's office.  
"Tsunade-sama," She knocked on her office door.  
"Come in,"  
Ino entered, her expression serious.  
Tsunade seemed serious herself.  
"I didn't get her fired." Tsunade said.  
Ino nodded. "I know,"  
Tsunade stared. "Then what is it?"  
Ino's expression changed. It hardened drastically. "Tsunade-san, I need to know."  
Tsunade listened.  
"What is going to happen?"

Tsunade smirked at her.  
Her pink lipstick, a shade of a vivid cherry blossom, covered the wound on her lips.  
"Let me tell you," She motioned her fingers to Ino.  
**  
-x-x-x-**

Sakura solemnly looked at the tea in front of her.  
Sasuke watched her from the doorway of the kitchen.  
'_Should I go talk to her...?_' Sakura thought, '_I don't...did she really strip away my position?_' Her mind was foggy; in a mist full of confusion and despair. She looked at her reflection in the earl grey tea before her.  
She stayed quiet, and so did he.

**-x-x-x-**

"...Sasuke is loyal to things he loves. _Very _loyal. His love for Itachi is what made him want to destroy Konoha. And his love for his fallen family...they were what drove him to revenge against Itachi."  
Ino listened intently.  
"He hides his emotions well; his desires. It's a well-crafted mask. But he has true desires and emotions, like any other person. This is what allows me to align him as Itachi's brother. Itachi himself was a master of disguise."  
Ino nodded.  
"It won't take him long to fall in love with Sakura,"  
"Tsunade-sama, in four days he will-"  
"Ino," Tsunade interrupted. "when he falls in love with her, his loyalty with side with her. He will hopefully come forth and give the council what they want. I have heard many things about him. Kakashi was even the one to tell me, that Sasuke was indeed falling for Sakura before he ran off all those years ago. She is something he wants to protect." Images of Dan appeared in her mind. She could empathize with Sasuke. "I can see through his facade. Men always want something to protect. He wanted to protect his family name, his honor, and then his brother...and now, her."  
"Tsunade-sama, four days is not-"  
"Four days is all he needs to fall in love with her,"  
Tsunade winked at Ino.  
'_She is my student, after all. Aahaha!_'

**-x-x-x-**

He stared at her, still.  
Sakura awaited for him to approach her.  
No such thing.  
"Sasuke," She said.  
He didn't say anything.  
"Sasuke..." She gritted her teeth. "You said you would make me love you again. But...just having sex is not love...Sasuke, being there for me emotionally and not just physically is love...Sasu-"

_**"I will love you always."  
Itachi, in a blinding flash of white light, began flying away. His soul was returning to the afterlife.  
'What is love?' Sasuke thought.  
"Sasuke...I...love...you...!" A young Sakura said, chasing him towards the edge of the village.  
Their reunion when he attempted to kill her...  
And she was in his home at this second.  
Is this love?  
Having someone still stand by your side, after everything that happened between you two? Is that**_** love?******

He glanced at her angry face, shouting things at him.  
_**Itachi loved me.  
He wanted the best for me.  
Love is when someone wants the best out for you.**_

"Sasuke, I want you to live...! But you can't live if you don't confess those things to the council...! Sasuke, are you listening?!"  
She was shouting now, at the top of her lungs.

He leaned close to her body. His face was in direct contact with her ear.  
"Don't just try to fuck me, Sasuke, just to get out of this argu-" Her arms rose, attempting to push him away from her.  
"Revive my clan with me."

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed, as always.


	5. Three Days

**I will make you love me Again**

Thank you for all of your kind reviews! It really pushes me to try and create a good story for you all. (hugs you all)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**Three days until the council decides:**

_**'Tsunade-sama...?  
No. She couldn't have had wanted this.  
The council must be acting out of their way; denying her orders. They want to prevent mayhem, don't they.  
They don't want another damn war.**_

_**That means...  
she was lying when she said Sasuke-kun would not die...  
He will die. They will fish those lies out of him, and seal him away, won't they...?'**_

_**She looked at him in the doorway.**_  
_**'Why won't he just fucking say something.'**_

**-x-x-x-**

"You have three days," Shikamaru said to the Hokage.  
She nodded. "Yes,"  
"Until Sasuke is killed."  
Tsunade smirked.  
Shikamaru looked away from her gaze. "Although I'll admit, your plan isn't half bad. I do think he could fall in love with her,"  
"But what?" She asked.  
"But..." Shikamaru shrugged, and scratched the back of his head. "We need to think about what to do about the council. They will get the information they want, and then seal him away so there's no chance of Sasuke being revived or whatever,"  
Tsunade's smirk grew wider.  
"I've figured that part out, too. Shizune!" She called for her assistant, who rushed in with papers in that instant. "Show him our brilliant blue print!"  
A sweat drop fell from Shizune's head. "P-please excuse her. She's most likely been drinking again..."  
Shikamaru waved it off, earning Shizune a dirty look from Tsunade.  
Shizune proceeded to hand him a roll of blue paper. Shikamaru opened it, and his eyes intensified in size.  
"This just might work."

**-x-x-x-**

He grabbed her hips, pulling her in closer.  
His face was in her pink hair. He could smell the shampoo on it.  
"Sasuke-kun..." She muttered.  
His breath was on her ear. She enjoyed the sound of his breathing, of knowing he's human.  
"Revive my clan with me," He repeated.  
"Sasuke-kun...!"  
Those were the words she's always _dreamed _of him saying when she was a little girl. For him to actually say those words to her, they made her tear up a little bit.  
She pulled back, looking at his stern face. '_He can't be serious,_'  
"I want to leave a mark on this world before I die," He continued. "and I want it to be with you."  
A great force hit his cheek.  
"_Baka..._!"  
Sakura looked at him, furrowing her pink eyebrows together.  
"There are many reasons why I can't. Ahem one, I have only recently gotten to know you better recently. Two, you _won't _die,"  
His eyes looked into hers.  
"Sakura," he said calmly, "we both know they will get rid of me once they get the intel they want."  
Sakura smiled at him.  
"Not unless you do a certain something."

**-x-x-x-**

"T-this...can we accept all of this?"  
"Why, of course!" Tsunade proudly proclaimed.  
The Elders looked at the giant heap of money presented in front of them. The money was sparkling like stars. They were neatly piled together in bundles of hundreds.  
"...There must be at least 50 billion ryo..."  
"...isn't this how much Tsunade-hime owes in debt to all those gamblers...?"

Shikamaru stood behind Tsunade, a massive sweat drop falling.  
'_C'mon Tsunade-sama...the other part of the plan..._'  
"So!"  
Tsunade interrupted the Elder's commotion. She glanced at them.  
"I would like to propose a plan,"  
They raised their eyebrows in unison.  
"I would like to propose a plan on what to do with Uchiha Sasuke-"  
"-we already decided to seal him away-"  
"-ahem. I propose something else, however."  
The Elders gazed at her with a confused expression.  
"I propose that we keep Sasuke Uchiha alive,"  
Whispers filled the room. Outrage.  
"Wouldn't that be what the previous Hokages would've wanted? This council was founded to continue the Will of Fire. This council was founded to continue the dreams and wishes of those who lead us. Or has old age blinded you?" The council members stayed silent. "I'm half your age, but I think even I have more wisdom than all of you. Our job as leaders is to pass on our will and ideals given to us. They are what created this generation...!"  
'_She's a natural,_' Shikamaru thought, as he looked around the room. Council members were seriously thinking this over.  
"As generations pass, traditions get lost. But not this one...! If we keep Uchiha Sasuke alive, our acceptance grows. Our acceptance as a nation. It shows change. Us, the greatest of the five nations, accepting a rogue ninja...? It's unheard of. But it shows times are changing. Because they are." She paused. "Uzumaki Naruto. The most hated boy in the village. What is he now? OUR VILLAGE HERO. What could happen to Sasuke? Anything. But with Naruto by his side, nothing bad."  
The council was silent.  
"Rest assured, we will still interrogate him. We will ensure we can get every drop of intel out of him. In order to prevent any outbreak of war ever again."  
The council stayed silent.  
One man finally spoke, "We do not accept your proposal,"  
Tsunade and Shikamaru frowned.  
"But we do not reject either."  
A slight upwards curve appeared on Tsunade's lips.  
"In three days time we shall respond properly.  
The Hokage grinned.  
They closed the door on their way out.

The council turned to each other.  
"What did we just agree to?"

Shikamaru and Tsunade made sure the door was closed tightly, and that no one was watching them. They turned to each other, and high fived in rejoice.  
_**"...an inspirational speech,"  
"Yes."  
Shikamaru gave Tsunade an unsure look.  
He put down the blueprint.  
"Eh. They're old people. Anything can motivate them,"  
Tsunade chuckled, as Shizune looked**_** on.**

**-x-x-x-**

"You've been acting so weird since I treated you in the hospital five days ago,"  
She looked at him sternly.  
"What is your problem?"  
Her beautiful green eyes were looking at him. They were angry, but no other negative emotions were associated with them.

_How do I tell her..._  
He looked at her right back in the eye.  
_I want to fill the void in my heart,  
_She awaited a response.  
_but I can't without her help._

"I don't know," He replied.  
_Fuck._  
Her lips curved downwards, a frown appearing. Her eyes darkened with sadness.  
He put his hands on her backside, and pulled her closer to his chest. Her ear was placed against his heartbeat. She could hear it beating, slowly, and then faster.  
"I'm not good with words so what I say might not change your mind," He paused for a second. "when Itachi died, I lost someone very close to me. There was a gaping hole in my heart." His arms cradled her. He held her even tighter. "I have always thought about you since I left Konoha,"  
The image of her confessing to him, the night he left, stained their minds forever.  
The two thought of that night.  
"I left just when I was starting to figure out who you really were. You are Sakura Haruno; not just another obsessed fan girl. I was starting to like you were on the inside. You bring happiness to everyone and everything you touch. You were always smiling. I wanted to be a part of that," A small smile creeped on Sakura's lips. "But in my head, revenge was far more important than your feelings." He looked down at her pink head. He lifted her chin with his index finger and thumb delicately. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," His onyx eyes connected with her emerald eyes. "but I'm sure you met other people while I was gone. And I'm fine with that," He kissed her forehead. "I realized when Itachi died that the hole in my heart had gotten bigger. I had lost my family, and most importantly, you."  
Her eyes were already tearing up, but they began to swell with tears. "Sasu-"  
"I've always been too busy for you. I was busy with revenge, I was busy with destroying Konoha, and when I met you again during the war...I was too busy with becoming Hokage. They were all silly goals. And I'm sorry I threw you away, when your only goal was me." He paused again. "The other night. I stopped because I realized this wasn't how I wanted to respond to your confession all those years ago. Back then, I only said thank you. I wanted to tell you _my _feelings. But instead, that night I only showed you. For someone like me who wouldn't even look at other girls during our time at the Academy, touching you like that was supposed to show you how much my feelings have intensified."  
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered.  
He nodded at his name. "All I've ever wanted was you."  
Her eyes glittered with not only tears, but happiness. "Is this a dream?" She asked.  
His eyes softened even more. "No, it's not."  
She gazed into his eyes even more. '_they are so beautiful_,'  
"I can't believe you are opening up so much to me. You are amazing with your words,"  
Sasuke smiled, and kissed her forehead again. "Love makes you do crazy things,"  
She smiled back at him.  
"Is this enough convincing for you?"  
She giggled. _It's the sound of an angel._

He picked her up with his arms, bridal style. He kissed her collarbone tenderly.  
He went into his room, closing the door behind them.

**-x-x-x-**

"You're lying," The kunoichi from the Sand village looked at her boyfriend with an uneasy gaze.  
"I'm actually not," He smirked.  
She raised an eyebrow. "A bunch of old geezers did not just change their mind to get rid of one of Konoha's greatest criminals with a simple speech from the Hokage,"  
"Are you doubting the power of Tsunade?"  
"N-no," Temari knew Tsunade was a powerful woman. Mostly physically, but also as a Hokage.  
"She did use the subject of Naruto, though,"  
'_Figures,_' Temari thought.  
"That helped a lot, I'm sure. But hearts are easily swayed, in both positive and negative directions."  
Temari rolled her eyes.  
Shikamaru looked lovingly at her. "Your heart isn't as easy to sway, though," He admitted.  
She smirked at that comment.  
"So when are you going to respond to my proposal?"

**-x-x-x-**

He slowly took off her shirt.  
She was too eager, and he wanted to tease her.  
"Sasuke, you just gave me the most romantic and persuasive confession ever and yet you don't have the balls to make love to me,"  
He smirked at her. "Feisty," he remarked.  
She furrowed her eyebrows at him. It was a silent command to hurry up.  
And he obeyed.

He finished taking off her shirt, and he nudged his face into her neck. He kissed the skin there so tenderly. His tongue licked the skin quickly, making small circles. He reached into her backside and unhooked her bra. He threw it aside. He left a mark on her neck before continuing to undress her. He diverted his eyes onto her clothed bottom half. He ripped off her skirt, and then the shorts underneath. He stared at the panties before him. He ripped them off as well. He gazed into her eyes.  
She knew what to do. She pulled him closer to her naked body, and took off his shirt. She proceeded to take off his shorts. She took of his boxers fondly, smiling while doing so. She turned his face in the direction of her's. She didn't even need to mutter any words to know what he wanted.  
He took one finger and penetrated her with it. He thought about two fingers, but decided to stick with one. He was only getting her warmed up.  
He moved it aggressively within her. The way she squirmed affirmed his belief that she liked it. He shushed her moans with his mouth, sticking his tongue inside of her. He moved it in motion with his finger inside of her, and they synched together perfectly. He was multitasking, and she thought it was pretty damn impressive. But what else to think of an Uchiha? She gripped onto his shoulders instinctively, as if she was melting and needed to hold onto dear life by hanging onto the very man reducing her into a puddle.  
He took out the fingers from inside her, and stared at the wet substance that stuck to his skin. He stopped kissing her, and inserted his fingers into his mouth. It wasn't horrible tasting, but it wasn't a gourmet dish either. Their bodies were already heating up incredibly. He separated her two legs further apart, and pushed his cock inside. It throbbed inside of her, and her walls tightened around it. He moved his hips and began to thrust excitedly. The first push was somewhat gentle, but as the number of pushes increased, so did the force. She moaned in excitement, and he took that as an indication to continue. He pushed harder and harder, inserting more and more of himself inside of her. He felt not only the heat of her body, but the inner core of her. _He was so close to it,_ He made a note of his beloved's face, who appeared tired. He decided to finish with one final push, sending her into an oblivion of lust and pleasure. She was breathing heavily, and so was he. Their hands were intertwined, tightly gripping onto each other. Nearing his end himself, he finally collapsed on top of her. He felt her hard nipples against his soft chest, and it excited him. It was an indication of a good job.

**-x-x-x-**

"Should we agree with her plan?"  
"Perhaps,"  
"I see where she is coming from."

The council were still discussing matters on what to do with Uchiha Sasuke.  
They had less than three days to decide what to do with him. One wrong move, and the future of Konoha was bleak.

"We are still repairing ourselves over a major war, we must be careful."  
"Yes, I agree."

The head council woman looked at her colleagues. "I suggest we go with Tsunade-sama's plan, it is true; times are changing. And so must we,"  
The other head of the council gave her an angry look. His face already wrinkled, was even more so due to his expression. "I decline. Letting a rogue ninja go... isn't that the mistake the Third Hokage made with Orochimaru?"  
The rest of the council replied in mumbles and whispers towards each other.  
"He has a point," Some whispered.  
"This is different," Others said.

The head council woman looked at her fellow head. "I agree with where you're coming from. But we also learned something else from that incident. If we had been allies with Sunagakure in the first place, the invasion would have never have happened. We need to make friends while we can."  
"With Uchiha Sasuke? The other head retorted.  
"You are only eighty-three years old but act like you are ninety-three. We still have a lot of time until we need to be stubborn old people," The woman smiled at him.  
The rest of the council nodded.  
"I agree!"  
"Keep Sasuke alive!"  
"FREE UCHIHA!"  
The head council man sighed.  
"We will still get all of the information we need out of him. We've already confirmed the task with one from the Yamanaka clan. They will squeeze all of the information out of him. And then we will keep a careful eye on him to ensure there is no suspicious activity. And please remember, he is connected to the Haruno girl. Tsunade-sama's pupil. He cannot possibly stray off of the path of good now."  
The council nodded in unison. They were all on her side now.  
'_Women._' The head council man thought, rolling his eyes.

**-x-x-x-**

She knocked on the door with hard fists. '_Maybe she's not here after all,_'  
The door slowly swung open. A tired Sakura emerged. "I-Ino?"  
"_Oh, _Sakura...!" Ino leaned in to hug her friend. She smelled the strong scent of musk on her friend. '_Ha. Getting crazy with Sasuke, aren't ya?_' She thought. "I'm so glad to see you,"  
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay..?"  
Ino smirked at her friend; a devious smile indeed. "Sasuke is going to be fine, Sakura."  
Sakura smiled.  
"Y-you mean it..?"  
Ino smiled back.  
"Yes, I do. Tsunade-sama assured me,"  
Sakura's grin grew.  
"You haven't talked to her yet, have you...?"  
"I haven't," Sakura replied.  
Ino's blue eyes lit up with excitement. "You need to!"  
She grabbed her friend's wrist excitedly, and began dragging her towards the Hokage building.  
"I-Ino...!"

Sasuke laid in his bed, still naked. He stared at the white ceiling above him with a smile.

**-x-x-x-**

_**They were at Ichiraku Ramen.  
Him, and Naruto.  
It felt so foreign, yet familiar.  
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, excitedly slurping up his noodles.**_

_**"So you and Hinata,"**_  
_**Naruto looked up when he heard her name. His ocean blue eyes lit up like lanterns. "Yeah!" He eagerly responded.**_  
_**Sasuke smiled. "I always knew she liked you,"**_  
_**Naruto rolled his eyes. "How come everyone knew, but no one told me... That would've saved me a lot of heartbreak..."**_  
_**Sasuke chuckled as Naruto sulked.**_  
_**The blonde cocked his head eagerly. He was eager to ask him a question.**_  
_**"Sasuke?"**_  
_**"Hm?"**_  
_**"What about you?"**_  
_**Sasuke stared at Naruto for what seemed like a long time. "There's Sakura,"**_  
_**Naruto smirked. "Sakura, eh? Good choice, hehe!"**_  
_**Sasuke smiled, too.**_  
_**"Sasuke, you seem happier somehow."**_  
_**The raven haired boy looked at his blonde friend with confusion.**_  
_**"The old you would never have agreed to go with me to Ichiraku. And you even laughed just a second ago,"**_  
_**Sasuke thought this over.**_  
_**"I think she's making you into a better man. Honest,"**_

**-x-x-x-**

Tsunade's brown orbs widened when the two walked into her office.  
"Tsunade-sama...!" Ino eagerly greeted her.  
Sakura was with her.  
'_Well shit. This is awkward,_' The Hokage thought.  
"Tsunade-sama," Sakura greeted her.  
The Hokage stared.  
"I never wanted to strip you of-"  
"I know," Sakura interrupted. "but it's to be safe, isn't it? The village comes first."  
Tsunade nodded in agreement. '_She's wise,_' She looked at her student. '_wiser than me._'  
Sakura and Ino stared intently at their sensei.

"Don't worry. Sasuke will be fine,"

**-x-x-x-**

"You should go with us tonight," Ino said, walking with Sakura to Sasuke's home. They made it to the entrance of his home. "it's at nine tonight,"  
Sakura gave her a friend a straight face. It screamed denial.  
"you don't work as a nurse anymore, so you could totally go! And bring Sasuke. It will be fun,"  
Sakura thought about this.  
"Please!" Ino clasped her hands together. "I'm asking you as a Bestie,"  
Sakura smiled at the word.  
"Alright," She agreed.

She entered his house.  
It was dark, almost eerie. She was half-expecting a murderer to come out and kill her.  
She crept into his room, where he was waiting for her.  
"Sasuke-kun," she said.  
He looked at her with his dark, onyx orbs.  
"Ino invited me to go drink with her and the girls tonight,"  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking for my permission?"  
Sakura was taken back by his comment. '_W-what is his problem? He was so sweet and lovey dovey earlier..._'  
Sasuke stared.  
"I'm not. I'm inviting you,"  
He turned his head, away from her. "No thanks," He replied.  
She shrugged her shoulders. '_Someone has a stick up his ass,_' She frowned a bit. "See you later then. I...I love you,"  
She awaited his response, even though there was none.

She closed his bedroom door.  
'_Great. I don't want to put up with his bad mood,_' she thought. '_well, it's not like I even live here anyway. I'll just go to the bar and go home to Mom and Dad. They are probably worried sick about me, anyway.'_  
She stared at the outfit she was wearing. '_Maybe I will see them sooner, rather than later._'  
She arrived at the bar in a black dress.  
It was the shade of ebony, silky, and soft. And it barely reached down enough to cover her bare butt.  
She saw Ino and Temari, sitting at a booth. She approached them.  
"Hey guys," She greeted them.  
Temari and Ino were both holding cocktails. "H-hey," Ino stammered, as Temari rolled her eyes.  
"I've learned she can't hold more than two drinks." She muttered.  
Sakura giggled.  
"Where are Sai and Shikamaru?"  
"I'm avoiding Nara-boy," Temari said. She ushered Sakura to sit down. After she sat down, she continued. "he proposed to me awhile ago. After we had sex." Her eyes rolled. "I don't want to marry him yet,"  
Sakura nodded. She could understand.  
Temari's eyes looked at Sakura deviously. "So, you and Uchiha, eh?"  
Sakura flushed a bright red. "I-it's nothing,"  
"_Right,_" Temari laughed. "if it makes you feel better, that's what I used to say about Shikamaru constantly when we started dating. It's okay to be embarrassed. Although I admit, I don't know why you'd be. Apparently all Konoha girls like him,"  
Sakura laughed nervously.  
"Well, I'm gonna go and flaunt what I have, so excuse me." Temari shoved Ino out of the booth seat, and walked onto the floor. She began talking to some handsome strangers. They were all obviously eying her, her in her tight bodycon dress.  
Ino laid on the floor, drunk and a mess. '_Sai will probably come soon and get her,_' Sakura thought. '_She wanted me to go so badly but she ended up getting drunk. Great.'_

She walked onto the floor. Some men approached her.  
"Do you want a drink, miss?" They asked her.  
She declined at first, but they kept ushering her a chance to try some of their beer.

The clock read 1:32 AM.  
He figured she would be back by now.  
'_Where did she say she was going...?_'  
He thought intensely.  
'_The bar..._'

He rushed out of his home to save his woman.

**-x-x-x-**

Temari stared at the two. "Damn it you two," She sighed at them. "you had at least two drinks, and are totally wasted. _Great,_"  
He walked in, slowly.  
She looked at the Uchiha.

"Ah! It's great you came. Your lady is done for,"  
He approached the Sand kunoichi. "How many did she have?"  
"Less than five, I'm sure."  
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He cradled his woman's shoulders with one arm, and her legs with another.  
'_How cute...!_' Temari thought.  
"I will be going now. Thank you for taking care of her,"  
Temari grinned. "No problem, bro,"  
'_Even though I didn't do anything..._'  
He began taking her outside of the bar, and into their humble home.  
"Now when is Sai coming?" Temari asked herself outloud.

"S-Sasugeeee...?" Sakura asked, her words fuzzy due to the alcohol.  
He glared at her.  
"I knew it wazzzz you 'cause it smells GOOD," she hiccuped.  
He rolled his eyes.  
"Hey, hey, you are SEXY,"  
He rolled his eyes even more. The stench of alcohol was unbearable.  
When he entered his home, he placed her softly onto the sofa. He went to go look for a blanket to cover her with.  
"Hey, where you goin' beautiful...?"  
Sasuke covered her with the blanket. "You need to be more cautious,"  
"Oh, oh, I am...! I am on seventy kinds of birth control,"  
Sasuke sighed. '_Shit. We have been having lots of sex._' He glanced at her midsection. '_I should ask her about this when she wakes up sober,_'  
"Sasukeeeee," She moaned. "I, I gotta tell you something."  
Sasuke rolled his eyes, attempting to walk away.  
"No, no, come back,"  
He stopped in his tracks, looking at the hot mess on his sofa.  
"D-do you love me?"  
He sighed. He didn't bother to respond when she was in her drunken state.  
"You has to talk to duh council later," Sasuke said, her lids closing on her eyes. "then everything has okay and you was not die..."  
He raised an eyebrow at her horrible grammar.  
Her eyes were closed now, and he was sure she was falling asleep. Or already asleep. It didn't matter.  
He kissed her on the lips.

_**"I...I love you,**_**"**

"I love you too," he finally replied.

* * *

A loooong chapter. Hope you enjoyed.


	6. Two Days

**I will make you love me Again**

Thank you for your very kind reviews everyone :D I was actually considering scrapping this story because I thought I already screwed it up. But thank you for your encouraging reviews! I really do read them and they warm my heart. (tear)  
WE WILL FINISH STRONG! :D  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**Two days until the council decides:**

Tsunade sat at her desk, staring at the giant piles of paperwork that awaited her.  
"Well, shit..." She grimaced.  
_Knock, knock._  
"Come in," She said.

He walked in slowly.  
He was in no rush; he didn't need to do anything more than a walk.  
He came up close to her desk.  
She looked up slightly at him. And she didn't even have to think about why all the girls in Konoha are mad in love for him.

His aura was foreign to her. But it was not what she had known before.  
It was no longer dark and lonely, but a more...light color, and free of negative emotions. She was impressed on what a difference Sakura made on him.  
"Is there something you need, Uchiha?"

**-x-x-x-**

She awoke with a massive headache.  
It throbbed like hell.  
She sat up, searching for him.  
"Sasuke-kun...?" She called out for him in his own home, yet there was no response.  
Her head hurt.  
'_How wasted was I?_'  
She looked around, searching for him. Her stomach dropped.  
'_Shit...what did I say to him when I was drunk...?_'

**-x-x-x-**

"I never imagined you would come to us first," The Elder spoke. "this is quite a surprise."  
Sasuke said nothing.  
"You do know what's going to happen now that you're here, correct?"  
He nodded.  
"Good," The Elder smiled in pleasure. "we will begin shortly."

**-x-x-x-**

Ino awaited outside the home.  
She stood there, crossing her arms. Waiting for her friend to come out.  
"Ino," Sakura greeted her, closing the door behind her. "I'm glad you came."  
"You're pretty damn lucky I showed up. I have a throbbing headache,"  
"Gee, someone needs to get laid," Sakura teased.  
Ino flushed a bright red. "S-so what's your problem?"  
Sakura sighed.  
"Sasuke-kun is missing,"

Ino glanced at her friend for a second. She rolled her eyes instantly.  
"Sakura, he's fine. He's under custody of the council right now. My cousin was called over there a while ago to interrogate him,"  
Sakura's face was no longer stained with a worrisome expression. She smiled slightly.  
"He's fine," Ino repeated.  
"What a relief," Sakura replied. "I was so worried,"  
Ino sighed. "I know, I know you were," She smiled. "It will be perfectly fine,"

**-x-x-x-**

Shikamaru Nara awaited outside the room. He stared into it's windows, looking at Ino's cousin using the Yamanaka clan's secret technique to reach into Sasuke's mind. His treasure chest of secrets.  
He crossed his arms and sighed heavily.  
'_What a drag,_' he thought.  
He heard the familiar sound of sandals hitting the floor.  
"What is it, Temari?"  
She was shocked that he didn't even need to look in her direction to conclude that it was her. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or not. She stared at him for a moment. "Have they sealed him away yet?" She asked.  
Shikamaru sighed again. "Nah, they're not gonna seal him anymore."  
_"Eh?_"  
"Tsunade-sama persuaded them. She pulled the Naruto card,"  
Temari nodded. '_No wonder,_' she thought.

"But," Shikamaru added, "they were given full permission to completely destroy him if he started to show _any _suspicious activity," his eyes narrowed at the word _suspicious._ "They had another day to decide. A full day. So-"  
Temari interrupted him. "What are they going to do with that extra day?"  
"Nothing. Report back to the Land of Fire's lord, probably."  
He glanced at the kunoichi before him. _The one he loves._  
"It's nice to know you care more about Sasuke than your loving boyfriend," He sarcastically remarked.  
"Shikamaru..."  
"You didn't come home last night,"  
'_No..._  
_I didn't. I took Ino home to her place, and her parents told me I could sleepover since it was already so late. I obliged,  
I didn't think you'd care too much._'  
Her eyes met with his.  
"I missed you," He said, his facial expression softening. His voice softened, too.  
She looked at the young man before her.  
"I missed you too," She finally replied.  
Shikamaru's lips transformed into a frown, slowly but surely. Temari frowned upon that realization.  
"This isn't going to work out, is it?" He finally asked.

**-x-x-x-**

Sakura awaited for him to return.  
It was already afternoon.  
She sat with Ino on the sofa in their home.

_Errr, Sasuke's home.  
_She sighed deeply.  
Ino looked at her friend. "Sakura, what's wrong?"  
Sakura stared at the coffee table. She stared at the piles of letters.  
She glanced at her friend.  
"I need to tell you something,"  
Ino smiled. "Anything,"  
Sakura opened her mouth, and unleashed a river of truths. She told Ino everything; from start to finish. When she was done, a bewildered Ino hugged her right away.  
"_Y-you've been through so much,_" Ino whispered, her voice cracking.  
"Ino-chan..." Sakura felt touched. She hugged her friend tighter. "t-thank you,"  
Ino looked her square in the eye.  
"You need to set your boundaries for him. This bitch hasn't even asked you out..?"  
A smile escaped from her lips.  
"You need to figure out what's going on, too. He's being a moody asshole and you need to get this sorted out,"

**-x-x-x-**

"You had a lot of secrets, didn't you?" His turquoise eyes narrowed at the Uchiha boy. "Sasuke,"  
Sasuke looked at the Yamanaka boy. His face stayed silent and still.  
"Interrogation is over," The Yamanaka boy reported out loud.  
Council members flooded in.  
"Uchiha," They addressed him, "you are dismissed. Thank you for your efforts."  
He stared for a second, and was quickly on his way out.

When the door was shut tightly, and they were certain that he could not hear them, they began to talk amongst themselves.  
"What did you see?"  
"Were they gruesome images?"  
"_Spit it out, lad._"  
The Yamanaka boy directed his gaze towards the ground.  
Countless images of Orochimaru flooded his mind. '_He spent a lot of time with that man,_' However, there were many images of an older man, with creases under his eyes. He often poked Sasuke in the forehead. '_and I presume Itachi Uchiha._'

Sasuke walked along his way home.  
His head hurt slightly, but it wasn't an incredible pain. What hurt was his forehead; that boy gripped onto Sasuke's forehead tightly and with much force. Much more force than the actual jutsu itself.  
He was embarrassed of what the Yamanaka boy saw, however.  
There were many images of Itachi. There were many images of Orochimaru in his slithering filth, preforming multiple experiments on his body. There were images of Obito Uchiha and Madara. A woman with bright red hair and glasses, a boy with white hair and shark like teeth, and a tall man with spikey orange hair were in multiple images. There were even more images of his family; his clan.  
But the worst part was, there was a pink haired woman in many of his memories.  
She was smiling and laughing.

She was possibly the most prominent image embedded in his head.

**-x-x-x-**

Shikamaru and Temari sat on a bench, located in the middle of a marketplace. They were surrounded by vendors of all sorts. Various aromas swayed in the air.  
Shikamaru sat his hand on her knee.  
She attempted to not make it obvious, but she slightly pulled away from his touch.  
He did notice however, as made obvious when his eyes fell.  
"Temari," He said. _Temari._He loved the way her name rolled off of the tongue.  
She diverted her gaze away from him. "I'm sorry," She said in response.  
"No, I am. I screwed up everything. I'm sorry."  
She was silent.  
"Temari-"  
"Just, stop." She finally said. She got up from the bench. "I can't deal with this anymore."

**-x-x-x-**

"What is your problem?" She was angry. But her voice was calm. He was amazed at how controlled she was with her emotions.  
He looked at her with his eyes.  
"Y-you act so romantic, and cute, and _nice_, but then we have sex and you turn into a complete fuck face. _Sakura, put your clothes back on. _What the freaking fuck, Sasuke?!"  
Even as she yelled even more, her expression was calm. Her disposition was calm.  
"_You didn't even tell me you were going to go get interrogated,_" Her breathing was intensifying. "Sasuke,"  
He looked at her, still. He was awaiting for her continue.  
When she didn't, he attempted to say something.  
A single tear fell down her cheek, and hit the wooden floor beneath them. _Plop._ "Don't you love me, Sasuke?"  
During this whole conversation, his cold coal orbs met with her soft emerald orbs. But then they looked away upon the word _love._  
Her pink eyebrows furrowed at him. Her mouth curved into a frown. "Why don't you just get killed then, _whatever_! I tried so hard to keep you alive. I always kept tabs on you... I had to make sure you were safe... why do I always care too much about you when don't give a single shit about me..."  
More tears began falling. It became a heavy shower of tears. Sasuke thought he'd have to get the mop later.  
"You said you'd make fa-fall in love with you aga-again. But you're d-driving me a-away," She said, choking on her tears.  
He stared at her face. "Sakura-"  
"I-I'm leaving," She began walking towards the front door of his home.  
He grabbed her wrist tightly. "No," He replied.  
She didn't even look at his face.  
He awaited her to look into his eyes, and apologize.  
"Let me go."

**-x-x-x-**

_**The water from the shower head fell plentifully onto his raven locks.  
His eyes stared at the white tiles beneath him.  
The water droplets did not blur his vision. Instead, they made his vision more clear.  
**_

_**"She's trying so hard to keep you alive. She really cares," He always thought of the Nara boy as a goofy looking kid. He always looked bored, and never took anything seriously. In fact, he reminded Sasuke of himself. It was almost like looking into a mirror.  
"Hm," was all Sasuke said in response.  
The Nara boy sighed. "Look, I know we never really were that close," His eyes suddenly grew serious. It did not frighten Sasuke, but it did catch him off guard. "but I'm asking you as a fellow villager- no, **_**nakama_, a member of our rookie group- to not hurt her. Take her seriously. She's a real catch,"  
Sasuke stared at him for a long while. "I know." He finally replied.  
Shikamaru stared back, but a small smirk crept on his lips.  
Sasuke continued walking.  
It was only by chance the two had seen each other at the marketplace._**

_**That was when he heard an angry Temari talk to Shikamaru.**_  
_**"Wow. Way to try to salvage Sakura and Sasuke's relationship, but not our's."**_  
_**"Te-Temari-"**_  
_**"Just shut up."**_  
_**"We need to talk,"**_

_**As he shampooed his hair, he thought of her scent.  
His shampoo was supposed to be a musky scent, but he could only smell cherry blossoms in his shower.  
He rinsed his hair, cleaning it with his fingers. He thought of her soft hair.  
'I'm getting too attached,' he began to think. 'I-I can't think about anything else but her.'**_

**-x-x-x-**

"You're throwing up like crazy,"  
"_Really_,"  
The Sand kunoichi returned from the Yamanaka restroom, after flushing the toilet an abundance of times.  
Ino eyed her suspiciously. "Do you think there's a chance?"  
'_Chance...?_' Temari looked at her, confused. Her eyes widened at the realization.

**-x-x-x-**

She was long gone.  
But her scent remained.

He stared at the sofa before him. The sofa they had made love on.  
He sat down, greeted by the cold cushions. There was no longer a lingering warmth to them. He folded his hands together, and leaned forward. He was in serious thought.  
'_Dipshit...! Why couldn't you tell her..._'  
He remembered the first time they had done it.  
Her body was too much for him to handle. He was ready to burst at the sight of her body. It was pure _perfection._ It was perhaps the most perfect thing he's ever laid his screwed up eyes on, other than her face of course.  
'_...you want to love so badly,_'  
He remembered telling her.  
_**"I will make you love me again,**_**"  
**His head hurt at the thought. He tried to block it out of his mind.  
'_but you have lost everything you've ever loved._'  
Mama, Father, Itachi...  
Their images stained his memory. He felt his head hurting.  
'_Just talking to her drives you insane. Making love to her...now that pushed you over the edge... you distance yourself right after because you are afraid. You regret wanting to love again. But isn't that the prize? The reward? When you love someone...and they stay, isn't that worth the risk of getting hurt..?_'  
Itachi's face appeared in his mind, over and over again.  
He couldn't get him out.  
'_Crying over a loved one...that's a good thing. It means you had something so precious to you at one point. Things like that...they make life valuable and worth living._'  
'_You are afraid she is becoming a part of you. You are afraid she will leave you...but would she? After everything you've put her through. She stays._'  
"Itachi..."  
Sasuke's looked up.  
"Even when you're dead, you still look after me."  
_**  
"Why don't you just get killed then, whatever!"  
**_Sasuke remembered her face. Her words.  
He left his house. He headed toward the Haruno residence.

**-x-x-x-**

"I knew,"  
She wasn't expecting that.  
In all honesty, she was expecting him to be _shocked, afraid._ She was expecting him to freak out, afraid of what to do.  
She stared at him.  
"that's why I proposed. I wanted to be a family before the baby was born."  
"Shika-"  
"But you got scared, didn't you," His eyes clouded. They were sad. "I should've expected that, myself."  
Temari leaned forward, planting a kiss on his lips.

"I'm willing to make this work if you are,"  
He smiled at her. "Of course I am,"

**-x-x-x-**

"Who needs a smelly Uchiha scumbag anyway...?!" Ino was angry now.  
She wanted to hit him. _The boy who hurt her best friend._  
Sakura sat in silence.  
"Sakura, what are you gonna do now?"  
Sakura twiddled her thumbs. "I don't know," She admitted.  
"I bet he's looking for you. He's gonna slither back into your arms," Ino hissed. She was _clearly _pissed.  
Sakura glanced at her friend's angry expression. "S-should I go look for him?"  
"No, of course not!"  
Sakura frowned.  
'_Sasuke-kun..._'

**-x-x-x-**

The dusty pink haired man stared at the young Uchiha in front of him. He crossed his arms. "She's not here right now,"  
"Okay," Sasuke replied.  
The old man awaited for a bow, or a decent _thank you_. The Uchiha began walking away.  
He closed the front door.

"Who was that, honey?" A blonde woman asked her husband.  
"Sakura's boy toy," The man replied, sitting down in a chair. He heaved a heavy sigh. "he was looking for our daughter."  
"Oh, I see." She continued mixing the stew together in the pot. She lifted the spoon to her lips. _Siiippp._ "Did you tell him to go to Yamanaka's house?"  
The man jumped. "Oh woops. Should I have?"

Sasuke's face was stoic as usual.  
But inside, he was harboring deep sadness.  
'_She's avoiding me, isn't she?_'  
He glanced at where he was.  
The Hokage's building wasn't too far away.  
**  
-x-x-x****-**

He opened the door without knocking._**  
"Why don't you just get killed then, whatever!"**_  
"S-Sasuke?" Tsunade looked at him with weary eyes.  
"I ask of a favor," He replied calmly.  
'_Sakura...  
you don't deserve me,_'

* * *

The end is nearing!  
I hope you guys enjoy.


	7. One Day

**I will make you love me Again**

Thank you for your very kind reviews everyone :D I was actually considering scrapping this story because I thought I already screwed it up. But thank you for your encouraging reviews! I really do read them and they warm my heart. (tear)  
WE WILL FINISH STRONG! :D  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**.**

* * *

**One day until the council decides:**

_**"Images of Orochimaru?"  
"That is to be expected."  
"Any images of Madara?"  
"Of course, you fool! What do you expect?"  
"Images of a pink haired girl..."  
"See, I told you..! He cannot possibly waver now with the Haruno girl by his side,"  
Tsunade stared at the council members, who were uselessly arguing amongst themselves.  
Her temples throbbed once more.  
The head council man stood up from his seat. "So Uchiha Sasuke will not be sealed any longer?"  
"Nope."  
"I'm afraid not."  
He sat down, unimpressed.**_**  
**  
_'You're going to be happy now, aren't you?_'  
She thought of the head council man. He will be thrilled when he hears about this.  
She stared at Sasuke, who was speaking to members of the council.  
She frowned.  
'_Is this what's for the best?_'

**-x-x-x-**

Sakura, Temari, and Ino were nestled together at Ino's home. Sakura didn't want to go home to her parents. Temari had nowhere to go but Sunagakure, and she didn't want to tell Gaara and Kankuro the news yet. The news about their future nephew.  
Ino glanced at them both. "S-so what's happening-"  
"Shikamaru and I are expecting a baby." Temari bluntly said. Even for her, it was unexpected.  
Sakura and Ino were in shock. "B-but I thought you guys broke up-"  
"We're gonna get back together," She replied, a smile on her face.  
"For the baby?"  
"No. Because we love each other,"

Ino and Sakura were silent.  
Ino smiled at Temari. "I'm so happy for you two," She said this comment after what seemed to be a long silence.  
"You're going to be a great mother," Sakura said.  
"Yeah, yeah, you will! You're so patient, and a strong kunoichi," Ino added on, agreeing with her pink haired best friend.

Temari let a faint smile escape from her lips.  
"You two are so fake," She replied. "I can see you two are suffering in your own relationships. You're not really happy for me; your sadness overshadows the joy,"  
The two stayed silent. They knew it was true.  
Ino herself had had troubles with Sai recently. He kept leaving her for missions without telling her. He would be gone for days on end, without a mention to her. It upset her incredibly.  
"There's always hope for a relationship," Temari began. "there's always something that bonds you two together. Other than the red thread of fate, of course. But that could be anything- your actual love, a baby, your mutual physical attraction to each other, anything." She smiled at the two girls before her. "We're at the age where love could become actual true love."

'_Sai..._' Ino's eyes gravitated towards the ground.  
'_Sasuke-kun..._'  
"I-I have to go home," Sakura said, standing up suddenly from the yellow leather sofa. She looked down on Temari and Ino, who were sitting on the couch in front of her. Sakura headed towards the front door of the Yamanaka household. She stared at the stained glass design of the windows in the door. "I have to finish something." '_And it's gonna be beautiful. Just like this window,_' It was a beautiful design, with color hues in perfect harmony. She wanted to glance back at Temari, but did not. '_and beautiful like their relationship,_'  
She rushed out the door, heading home.  
His face; his fair skin, his onyx eyes, his raven hair.  
The smirk on his face.  
It was, and would be, forever embedded in her memory.  
_'Sasuke-kun...! Wait for me,_'

Ino eyed Temari. "She needs to learn how properly bid people goodbye,"  
Temari chuckled.

_**"We're at the age where love could become actual true love."**_  
'_Sasuke-kun...wait for me...!_'

**-x-x-x-**

"Ah, Sakura-chan," Her mother greeted her daughter, hugging her.  
"Hi Mom," Sakura hugged her back, smiling.  
Her mother pulled back from the hug.  
"Sakura, a bunch of boys have been looking for you lately,"  
Sakura frowned. '_Great. Stupid-_'  
"One of them is our village hero!" She turned around, presenting Naruto.  
Naruto creeped up from behind her mother. A giant grin was plastered on his face. "Yo!"  
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'll leave you two alone now," Her mother said, leaving them alone.  
Naruto's grin disappeared.  
Sakura bit her lip.  
"Sakura,"  
"Naruto,"  
"Sakura he's going to be sealed away,"

Her emerald eyes widened in shock. Her heart stopped beating. The world around her stopped moving.  
"B-but...the council...got the information they wanted from Sasuke-" Her breathing intensified. "I-I thought they wouldn't if-"  
Naruto looked at her, his sapphire eyes solemn. "Sakura," He repeated her name. "He asked them to seal him away. He thinks he's an abomination,"  
Sakura's eyes widened even more. Naruto observed this.  
_**"Why don't you just get killed then, whatever!"**_  
'_He wouldn't..._'  
"When are they sealing him?" She asked.  
"Tomorrow."  
"I have to go talk to Tsunade-sama," She headed for the door, but Naruto grabbed her wrist. She snapped, "Naruto! Let me go, I have to save Sasuke-kun-"  
"Sakura," He calmly replied. His gaze was intense. It almost frightened her.  
"Naruto, do you not care?! Sasuke-kun is going to be gone forev-"  
"Do you understand why he did this?" He asked.  
"Because I told him to go get himself killed." She replied coldly.  
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Sakura," He said her name for the _billionth _time. "he did it for you."  
She herself raised an eyebrow. "Naruto don't say that,"  
"But he did," His faced turned less serious; more sad. _Scared, even. _"I think...for someone like Sasuke, becoming close so close to someone scared him..." His eyes turned solemn, somber. "He's locked out emotions other than anger and the lust for revenge for so long-"  
'_Naruto is using some complicated diction,_' She thought.  
"-that when he finally found something to love, and when he was losing her, he thought about ending it. His life, Sakura,"  
His eyes met with her's.  
"Sasuke is my best friend and you know that."  
She nodded.  
He suddenly grinned, and raised his arm. He gave her a thumbs up. "Now this is a promise for life...! You gotta keep it!"  
Sakura stared at his thumb. '_Naruto..._' Her eyes lit up, like the sky when the sun rises in the early dawn. "Hell yeah!"  
"Bring Sasuke back! It's _your_ turn now!"

She smiled brightly at him; a smile he returned.  
_**"There's always hope for a relationship," Temari began. "there's always something that bonds you two together. Other than the red thread of fate, of course. But that could be anything- your actual love, a baby, your mutual physical attraction to each other, anything." She smiled at the two girls before her. "We're at the age where love could become actual true love."**_  
'_Sasuke-kun... I guess you did love me..._'  
"Thank you Naruto!"  
She hastily ran out of her home, leaving Naruto alone in her living room. Sakura's mother returned from the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches. Her eyes scouted for Sakura. "Hm? Where'd she go?"  
Naruto smiled at her. "Nowhere," '_Sakura...bring him back..!_' He eyed the sandwiches. They looked delicious; fruits of various colors including strawberries and kiwis were nestled between the two white loaves of bread. "Does that mean I can have more, now that she's not here?"

She ran on the dirt road, making people stare at her.  
She didn't care.  
She was just blindly running to the Hokage's building.  
To save the one she loved.

'_It's my turn now, Sasuke-kun.  
I will make you love me again!_'

**-x-x-x-**

"It will take me one day to focus my chakra into the seal," The Elder told her.  
"An entire twenty-four hours?" Tsunade's soft brown eyes widened at the statement.  
"Of course! I am an old man, can you not see? My chakra control is getting weaker as the years go by."  
Tsunade sighed. She frowned a bit at his sudden aggression. "Forgive my naive nature," She said.  
The head council man only nodded in acceptance of her apology.  
"Where is the Uchiha boy?"  
"Just sitting out there,"

The head council man diverted his eyes to the lone boy standing outside in the hallway.  
"Hm," his face grew solemn. "it's a shame such a prodigy must be gone this way."  
'_He doesn't have to be..._' Tsunade thought. '_What made him choose this path...?_'  
She looked into the window, watching the clouds again.  
'_Itachi...__what would you have done..?_'

She looked at Sasuke. She noticed the Uchiha boy walking away from their view. She glanced at the councilman, who did not appear to be aware of what was happening. She stayed silent.  
Her ears picked up on the sound of heels clicking against the flooring.

'_Who could it be-_'

**-x-x-x-**

"Tsunade-sama!"  
Sakura panted, breathing heavily. Sweat dropped from her forehead. Exhaustion radiated off her.  
Tsunade was caught off guard by her sudden arrival.  
"S-Sakura,"  
The head council man raised an eyebrow. '_The Haruno girl..._'  
She eyed the councilman, wondering if it was okay to speak about Sasuke in his presence. She went on a whim.

"I-I can't let you take Sasuke-kun away,"  
Tsunade's face remained serious. The councilman as well.  
"I'm sorry young girl, but Sasuke agreed to be sealed away- _in fact,_ he came to us asking to be sealed. Are you Sasuke? No. So you can't undo this."  
Silence followed, the elder staring into Sakura's determined emerald eyes.

'_What an ass,_'  
Tsunade glared at the man next to her. She glanced at Sakura, who was taken back by what he just said.  
"I can't undo this," Sakura acknowledged him."You're right"  
She gazed at the old man.  
"But I can convince you not to."  
He raised an eyebrow.  
"Sasuke-kun is a good man," She paused. "if he wasn't, he'd have killed us all by now."  
A small smile descended from Tsunade's lips. '_Sakura..._'  
"I won't let you steal him away from me."

**-x-x-x-**

Sasuke wandered off into the outside of the Hokage building. He noticed the drier air, due to Konoha being encased within a crater; a memento of the Invasion of Pain. He stared at the dying garden located by the doorway. The flowers were wilting, and turning into a hue of brown. The signs of death. He felt that they foreshadowed his own future.

He had heard her footsteps coming this way.  
He looked back at the window behind him. He stretched his neck, gazing at the mirror to the Hokage's office. He couldn't see what was going on.  
He wondered what she was doing.  
His heart began beating faster at the thought that she had come to change his mind.

**'_but m__iracles are not real._'**

**-x-x-x-**

The council man laughed in her face.  
"Ha!"  
She scrunched up her face in anger.  
"Sasuke is going to be sealed away tomorrow. And that is our final decision. It's for the better good, don't you understand?"  
Tsunade noticed Sakura's angered face, and the council man mocking her.  
"Council man," Tsunade intervened.  
She looked at his face sternly.  
"Uchiha Sasuke has proved himself as a ninja,"  
"In what ways?"  
"Sasuke has proven his love for the village."

The council man eyed the Hokage before him.  
Even her student gazed at her in confused awe.

"In what ways?" The elder repeated.  
The Fifth Hokage merely scoffed at his question.

She stood up from her chair, and walked slowly to the window behind them. She gazed at the statues of the Hokages mounted even further behind them. Her ruby red lips curved upwards into a smirk.  
"He hasn't destroyed Konoha, has he?"

**-x-x-x-**

_**"You mustn't follow Itachi in this way,"  
"In what way, Father?"**_

He looked at his youngest son with a serious expression. However, his eyes masked a more delicate emotion- fear. "As a shinobi, you are not promised a long and fulfilling life, my son."  
Sasuke nodded. "I know!"  
In response, Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "If I were to ever lose you, I'd prefer it to not be due to war,"  
"There are no wars going on," Sasuke replied.  
Fugaku chuckled. "Not yet, my son. It would be pleasant if your generation did not know war- but miracles are not real."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at his father's statement. "I don't understand,"  
Fugaku bent down to eye-level with his son. "You must learn that miracles are not real. Good things happen to those who wait, better things happen to those who go out and** do,  
**

Sasuke thought about his father's words.  
"Miracles aren't real because they don't exist," He said out loud to himself. "good things happen because you wait for the right moment to strike and _make things_ right." He looked up at the bright blue sky above him. "Isn't that right, Father?"

A subtle gust of wind howled, as if it were a response from Fugaku to his son's wise words.

**-x-x-x-**

"Not yet, he hasn't. He hasn't destroyed Konoha yet,"  
The elder's wrinkles were emphasized as he frowned.  
Tsunade herself frowned.  
"Elder, he's a changed shinobi."  
"That's what the Third thought about Orochimaru. That's what the First thought about Madara-"  
'_Does this guy know anything?_' Sakura thought.

"Sasuke has already told, or rather, showed us the information he knew. He betrayed his former allies with that single move. And you are well aware he could've killed us all at that moment. That would've been the perfect moment to strike-"  
"but he didn't, because-"  
"because he has no intention of destroying Konoha,"

Tsunade smiled. It was a fake smile- she was rather good at those- but she still grinned and showed her pearly white teeth to the councilman.  
"not yet," The Elder rolled his eyes.  
"You're a stubborn mule," Tsunade retorted.

The Elder rolled his eyes yet again. Tsunade and Sakura thought this action mirrored that of a hormonal teen girl.  
"Hime, since you're so convinced," He stopped gathering chakra within his palms, and stood up from his seat. "why don't we let the Uchiha live?"  
Sakura glanced at her sensei. Although the two didn't have that much time to react, their grins were already a mile long and their eyes were filled with the light of hope.  
"But mark my words, Hime, when he destroys Konoha, I will take no part in aiding you,"

He made his way for the door to leave.  
He stopped for a quick second, glancing at Sakura.  
"Congrats, you kept Uchiha Sakura alive,"  
He continued walking, and left the room after closing the door behind him.

"Tsunade-sama...!" Sakura leaped into the arms of her master. "Th-thank you," Her voice cracked as her eyes swelled up with tears.  
Tsunade hugged her student back. "No, _thank __you_," She said.

**-x-x-x-**

The Elder passed Sasuke on his way out.  
He stared at the Uchiha, who was standing with his back against the wooden walls of the Hokage building. "Are you not happy? You get to live longer,"  
Silence followed.  
The wind blew, causing rustles in the grass and trees.

The young Uchiha finally met eyes with the Elder.  
"She came, didn't she?"  
Although he asked for the answer, the Elder knew Sasuke had already known the answer for himself. He merely smiled, and continued walking.

"Ah, young love,"

* * *

_Sorry it took me so long to get out in comparison to the other chapters! I've been caught up on the road of life.  
I hope you can forgive me! And I also hope you had enjoyed this chapter~  
_


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